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| Organization: |
Chamber Orchestra of the Springs
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| Project Title: |
“Community in Unison,” a collaborative concert and volunteer fair produced by the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs in partnership with the Gospel Music Workshop of America
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| About Our Project: |
The Chamber Orchestra of the Springs will team with the Gospel Music Workshop of America/Colorado Springs Chapter (GMWA-CSC ) to perform an innovative new program for full orchestra, gospel chorus, and soloists. Nearly 100 musicians and singers are expected to be on stage during the 70- to 90-minute concert, to be held in September. The program will be especially suitable for audience participation toward the end of the concert.
We also will invite 10-20 Colorado Springs nonprofit organizations to set up informational booths to recruit volunteers prior to and after the concert. The audience will be encouraged from the podium to take advantage of volunteering opportunities. The concert program booklet will include informational literature on participating organizations and other volunteering opportunities in the region. Participating nonprofits will be asked to encourage their members to attend the concert.
The concert will feature new orchestral arrangements of GMWA-CSC’s existing repertoire, commissioning musicians mostly from Colorado Springs and Denver to create new arrangements from recorded examples of GMWA-CSC performances. Orchestra Maestro Thomas Wilson will donate his own arrangements of “Oh, Had I A Golden Thread” and “America, the Beautiful” to the project to get us started.
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| About Our Organization: |
Chamber Orchestra of the Springs is made up of more than 30 musicians under the baton of music director Thomas Wilson. Our musicians come from all walks of life and range in age from those just out of college to retirees. The orchestra performs a season of five concerts (two performances each) in addition to holiday shows and other special performances. Our organization provides a unique opportunity for local composers to have their works performed by an orchestra, and we often collaborate with groups such as the Colorado Springs Conservatory, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble and others.
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| How The Project BenefitsThe Community: |
Our goal is to fuse two different musical traditions and produce a unique show that will be a credit to our community. Once the show is created, we can continue to grow the project by performing it at other locations and at other times. We can add new arrangements and new ideas as we go, so there will be long-term benefit and artistic growth for both groups and others within the Pikes Peak musical community.
This event is structured to bring together members of classical and gospel music communities, members of churches that provide singers to the GMWA-CSC (12-15 churches in Colorado), and workers/supporters of participating nonprofits. The event and its publicity campaign are intrinsically structured to be inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all interested. We expect the participating audience to be made up of many races, ages and socioeconomic levels. We know music has the power to lift the spirit and help unite our community!
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